Issue Overview: Batteries

TOP: Ahmad Pesaran, an engineer with Center for Transportation Technologies and Systems, holds two vehicle batteries, a

nickel metal hydride battery (left) used in the current Toyota Prius Hybrid and a smaller Lithium-Ion battery that he and NREL

are developing for future cars at the National Renewable Energy Lab. Andy Cross/Denver Post v Matias Nieto. BOTTOM:

Graphic courtesy of Bloomberg.

Between today and a low-carbon future lies a big question: Is it possible to build a better

battery? Solar and wind power are cheaper than ever, but the sun doesn’t always shine and

the wind doesn’t always blow. More powerful batteries would solve the problem of keeping the

lights on. They could help electric cars drive longer before needing to recharge.

Battery research has not been this hot since Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb.

Yet the science of batteries is still daunting. First of all, there might be a limit to how much

battery technologies can improve. New approaches will only come about via big

breakthroughs. Price is an issue as well, since battery research is not as widely funded as

wind and solar power.

By Bloomberg, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.23.16

Word Count 718

Level 1060L

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1

The Situation

Most battery research today is focused on improving lithium-ion batteries. These rechargeable

batteries power everything from electric cars to iPhones. Researchers know they can keep

making small improvements to lithium-ion batteries. However, each improvement is likely to be

a small one.

Despite this, many are trying to change the battery industry. For example, Tesla Motors hopes

to sell its battery packs to homeowners and utility companies. Some of its new approaches

use tanks big enough to handle a utility’s needs. The company might even be able to balance

power use within a local system known as a micro-grid. This is a local power grid that can be

connected or disconnected based on need.

Other researchers are looking into different materials, such as magnesium. Another path that

is being studied is mixing lithium with sulfur to make longer-lasting batteries for electric cars.

All around the world, efforts are being made to store power more efficiently. Projects in Spain

and Germany use extra electricity to heat gases, which are then used to run generators. China

is building hydroelectric storage projects in which water is pumped uphill and then runs back

down through turbines when it is needed for power. The United States leads the world in

large-scale storage projects. Since 2011, a battery site in West Virginia has helped the flow of

electricity for 13 states.

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The Background

Benjamin Franklin and others experimented with glass jars and layers of metal foil. These

inventions, now called capacitors, were capable of holding and releasing an electric charge.

Alessandro Volta of Italy is credited with inventing the first electric battery in 1799. By 1891,

the first practical electric car made in the United States debuted in Iowa. Thomas Edison set to

work building a better alkaline battery for cars, but gave up after Henry Ford’s gasoline-

powered model transformed the car market.

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There wasn't a lot of interest in battery research again until the 1970s when Exxon created the

first rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Sony used the technology in the early 1990s, and lithium-

ion batteries have been the basis of digital technology ever since. They are remarkably

durable, packed with energy and easy to recharge.

The Argument

Lithium-ion batteries can hold more energy than non-rechargeable batteries. But lithium-ion

batteries have limits and can probably only become twice as efficient as they are today. The

goal is to make batteries that can store enough power to allow solar or wind to make energy

without a backup power source. Until then, fossil fuels will remain utilities’ primary choice.

Fossil fuels are energy sources, such as coal, oil or natural gas. They are not renewable, so

once they are gone, they are gone forever.

Some argue that batteries should not be the focus of research. They claim that renewable

energy sources will grow just by the better use of the existing electrical grid. Instead, those

who favor batteries are pushing for utility companies, regulators and lawmakers to understand

and include the full value of batteries. Rates are currently based on the cost of producing and

distributing electricity, but not on storage. A system that uses both renewable sources and

batteries would make for a much more efficient electric grid.

Battery proponents would like more government funding of lab research. They hope this will

attract private funding as well. But with only a small chance of this happening, they are looking

for more places to adopt new mandates, or legal orders. One enacted in California requires

utilities to provide enough energy storage by 2020 to power 1 million homes.

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Quiz

1 Which two statements express CENTRAL ideas of the article?

(A) Scientists have been trying to improve energy storing methods by improving

batteries; Developing a battery that is efficient enough is difficult.

(B) The history of battery research goes back to Ben Franklin; The future of battery

research is bright.

(C) Batteries are the answer to the energy problem; They could help to make the

electrical grid more efficient.

(D) The United States leads the way in energy research; Other countries are

catching up.

2 Which statement would be BEST to include in a summary of the article?

(A) Mixing lithium with sulfur is one way to make batteries more efficient.

(B) Thomas Edison attempted to improve the alkaline battery for cars.

(C) Lithium-ion batteries can only become twice as efficient as they are today.

(D) Tesla Motors is working toward developing a micro-grid.

3 How does the author convey the importance of improving power storage?

(A) by describing the history of the development of the battery

(B) by explaining how different types of batteries work

(C) by showing the many ways people are trying to improve efficiency

(D) by highlighting the growth of renewable energy sources

4 How do the viewpoints of those who favor more battery research compare with the viewpoint of

those who favor improving the grid?

(A) They both agree that fossil fuels must be phased out.

(B) They both agree that societies need to work toward using energy more

efficiently.

(C) They both agree that the grid is being used in an efficient way.

(D) They both agree that lab research must be funded by the government.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5